


Criminality In Contrast

by canaa



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assassination, Hostage Situation, M/M, Reference to Child Abuse, accidental criminal, creep gets what he deserves tho, dumb cuteness, this is dumb tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-16 23:56:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9295268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canaa/pseuds/canaa
Summary: Leomach never meant to end up this deep in trouble. Narcissus finds him endearing. Possibly too endearing, since Narcissus doesn't know how to not be in trouble.





	1. Accidental Criminal

"Just so you know," Narcissus told the tiny, nervous man pacing around his motel room, "I'm expecting a pizza soon. Actually, I thought you were the pizza guy until you pointed that gun at me. If there's a knock, let me check to see if it's food before you panic? I'm hungry."

"How do I know you aren't letting the police in?" the man demanded. He was still holding the handgun he'd waved in Narcissus' face, and Narcissus wasn't surprised to see that the safety was on. The man was nervous, almost twitchy, but not like a drug-induced state. More... he was in over his head, and knew it. Narcissus could sympathize.

"Easy there. Do you hear sirens? Unless you think you took a police plant hostage and I'm communicating with them wirelessly somehow, they wouldn't know to approach silently, would they?"

The little man thought that over, then nodded slowly. "But I'll check if it's the pizza, I don't want you getting a note out if no one's aware I'm here."

Narcissus smiled. "Fine, fine. But you probably shouldn't open the door with a gun in your hand, either."

The man eyed him, probably wondering why he was so at ease about being taken hostage, then shrugged and shoved the gun into the back of his pants and pulled his shirt over it. Narcissus sat on the edge of the bed and watched him continue to pace.

The man was interesting. From the way he handled the gun, he couldn't have been used to it; whatever he'd done that had convinced him his only way out was to take a hostage, he was new to this level of criminality, that was for certain. "I'm Narcissus, what's your name? Or, I can just call you cutie. That works for me too."

"L-Leomach." The man - Leomach - stumbled over his name, flushing, and that _was_ cute. Narcissus couldn't help smiling. "Cutie? Why-?"

"Because you're cute." Narcissus watched Leomach look for words. There were footsteps outside, but Leomach hadn't seemed to notice them.

Which was why Narcissus was prepared for the knock that came a moment later, but Leomach jumped, turned so quickly towards the door he wobbled.

"Pizza, remember?" Narcissus encouraged Leomach. He glared at Narcissus, then pulled off his gloves, fished a wallet out of his back pocket and headed for the door. 

It was pizza, and Leomach managed to pay for it without incident. The gun didn't even fall out of his waistband until the door was almost shut; with any luck, the delivery girl hadn't noticed.

"Nice of you to buy it for me," Narcissus observed, grinning, as Leomach locked the door and kicked the gun out of the way.

Leomach brought the pizza over to the bedside table, clearly trying to glare at him, but it came off more as a pout, and Narcissus was struck again by just how inexperienced and- and _vulnerable_ this guy seemed. Leomach's stomach growled, and Narcissus shook his head as he reached for the pizza box.

"Do you want some?" he offered.

Leomach looked at the box. "...is it vegetarian?"

Vegetarian. What even- Narcissus just stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "It has chicken, sorry."

"Oh." Leomach sighed and went to pick up his fallen gun. Narcissus pulled the box open and grabbed one of the napkins, then set to work on a slice of pizza.

After a minute, he looked up to see that Leomach had sat in the room's lone armchair and was staring at the door.

"So... what are you going to do if the cops show up?" Narcissus asked.

Leomach looked over at him. "...I don't know," he admitted. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt _anyone_ , I never meant this to- to end up like it did."

"I had a feeling that was the case," Narcissus took another bite of his pizza. "Want to tell me what happened?"

"Why, so you can give the police my confession later?"

"Because I'm curious. Because you don't seem like the kind of guy to get in this much trouble. Because, honestly, I'm a little worried for you."

"Worried for me? I took you hostage! Shouldn't you be scared of me?"

Narcissus shook his head. "You're more scared than I am," he said, gently. "I was never in danger - I'm probably in more danger from the police if they show up than I am from you. You bought me pizza, and I'm willing to forgive the gun, since you made sure the safety was on before you pointed it at me. It's obvious you never wanted to hurt me. You're just... in over your head."

"Y-you noticed that?" Leomach ducked his head and scubbed his face with both hands. After a minute with his head buried in his palms, he looked up. "Look, you know that cosmetic factory east of town?"

"I've been by it," Narcissus said. He wasn't certain what Leomach was bringing it up for, but he wanted to let Leomach explain at his own pace.

"They do animal testing," Leomach said, flatly. Narcissus blinked, looked down at his pizza, the chicken on it that had made Leomach not want it, despite his growling stomach.

"Are you- wow, are you seriously going to tell me you broke in to let the animals loose or something?"

"Yeah." Leomach sighed. "I got in with the gun, let the animals out and started smashing the cages. Then I heard sirens and ran for the exit, but, uh..."

"Uh oh."

"Yeah. I tripped. I thought the gun was empty, I took out the clip! I didn't want to hurt anyone, it wasn't like they were going to make me try to shoot anyone. But when I tripped, it went off."

"A lot of guns chamber a round automatically when loaded," Narcissus told him. "You didn't have the safety on then, I take it."

Leomach shook his head. "I did that before I knocked on your door. I mean- it's definitely empty now, but I wanted to be /sure/."

"I appreciate that," Narcissus said. "So, the gun went off...?"

"Uh huh. And I guess it hit a chemical tank, because there was this hissing, and then alarms were going off, and I booked it but I could hear fire behind me. I got out just before something exploded. Got in my car and took off. I wasn't the only one, employees were peeling out like crazy too, getting away before more explosions could happen. Probably the only reason the cops _aren't_ here yet, they had too many cars to follow."

Narcissus set his slice back in the box and regarded Leomach with a mix of awe and pity. The guy was definitely in for it, if he got caught. Arson, reckless endangerment, threatening people with a deadly weapon, destruction of property... and a big corporation's property, at that. They'd throw the book at him, if they didn't just shoot him on sight and claim he was resisting arrest.

"Can they identify you?"

"Uh, I doubt their security tape works anymore, and I wore a face mask. But I'm pretty short, and my hair..."

"Yeah, you're still a bit identifiable if the employees you forced to let you in come forward with a description." Narcissus frowned. "It'd be a shame to cut those gorgeous 'locs," he mused. "Dye, maybe?"

"Huh?"

"I'm trying to think of ways to get you out of this, Leomach." Narcissus explained. "I can give you an alibi, if you want."

"...really?" Leomach regarded him warily. "Why?"

"I told you already. Look, I want to help you. Leaving aside your little stint at eco-terrorism-" Leomach flushed at the description, but didn't deny it, "I'm guessing you're a pretty good guy. Well behaved, pay your taxes, go to- okay, no, probably don't go to church. But you tip your barista and you don't let doors slam on people."

"Well..." Leomach rubbed his head and nodded. "More or less."

"I'm not going to say what you did wasn't serious. Someone could have died tonight in the explosions you said happened. If they did, that's your responsibility."

Leomach nodded, face miserable. "I know. I _know_. But I don't want to-"

"-to go to prison for the rest of your life, or even die? Yeah. I don't want that to happen to you either. You'd be lucky to survive a month in prison, and I don't mean that they'd kill you, I mean if you died after a month, it'd be luckier than a guy like you having to live in there." A guy as pretty and gentle as Leomach would be eaten alive by the prison system.

Narcissus took a breath. "So where's what we're going to do. You're going to give me the gun so I can wipe it and get rid of it when I have the chance. If you're lucky, the explosion melted the slug so they can't do ballistics traces. Then we're going to go to bed, you're going to post a facebook status tomorrow morning about spending the night with a cute guy, and... what did you do with the car?"

Leomach's eyes were wide as he listened to Narcissus's plan. "It was a junker a friend stole from a junkyard. I put it in a ditch and then walked here. Got rid of the mask in a dumpster behind a salon. If they find it, there'll be all kinds of hair on it."

"Good! That was smart, Leo. So. What do you say to the plan?"

"How are you going to get rid of the gun?"

"I know some people who will take care of it, and that's probably as much as you want to know," Narcissus said firmly.

Leomach hesitated, then stood and walked over to the bed. "Here." He held out the gun; Narcissus accepted it gingerly with a clean napkin, and tossed it into his suitcase. "Um... where should I sleep?"

Narcissus smirked up at him and patted the bed. "There's only one bed."

Leomach's eyes went wide. "I'm not going to-"

Narcissus snorted. "Don't look so scared. You're in no condition to have fun, and while you're gorgeous, I like my partners to enjoy themselves. But it would help the alibi if you were in the bed tonight... and if you ate some pizza. You can pick the chicken off. Not much of a date if you didn't eat anything and slept in a chair. I'm hoping it won't come to proving that you were with me tonight, but if it does, every bit helps."

"I'm- what?"

"Gorgeous? Seriously, Leomach, have you ever looked in a mirror?" Narcissus reached up and ran his fingers gently over Leomach's cheek. "If we'd met in a bar, I'd have invited you home in an instant."

"But we didn't, I pointed a _gun_ at you."

"And I said I was willing to forgive you for that, remember?"

Leomach frowned. "Wait... wait, is this Stockholm syndrome? That thing where a hostage-"

"-develops sympathy with their captor and supports them because they fear for their life?" Narcissus shook his head. "We already established that I'm not scared of you. You were never a danger to me."

"Right. Okay. Uh..." Leomach avoided his eyes, and Narcissus felt a rush of... something. Affection? Couldn't be, he'd known Leomach for all of an hour, if that. Rolling his eyes at himself, he started pulling pieces of chicken off a slice of pizza, then shoved it at Leomach.

"Eat, Leomach."

Leomach took the slice and wrinkled his nose at it. It must have passed inspection, however, because he took a bite a moment later.

Narcissus helped himself to another slice while Leomach devoured that one. When they'd both finished, Narcissus patted the bed beside him. "Sit down, let's talk a little. If we're going to be boyfriends," and he grinned at the look on Leomach's face, "we're going to need to know a little more about each other. So, what do you do when you're not a warrior for animal justice...?"

He almost scowled at the little flutter in his chest when Leomach sat beside him and reached for another slice of pizza. It was going to be a long night with cute company he couldn't touch. Well, maybe in the future. Unless he was very mistaken, that look Leomach had given him had held as much interest as worry. It certainly wouldn't be the _strangest_ way he'd met a lover.


	2. No Accident, Just Criminal

"I have definitely been on much less comfortable stake-outs," Narcissus mused as he leaned back in his chair. He'd pulled it over to the window from Leomach's little dining set, the padded wicker much more enticing than crouching in front of a tripod for hours, possibly a few days. He gave himself a little pat on the back for his cleverness and stretched his arms out before picking up his binoculars again and returning to watching the street for his target.

Convenient, that his sometimes-lover happened to have his apartment only a block and a half down from the massage parlor that his target preferred, and that the sight lines between him and the stretch of concrete dividing the parking lot from the business were unobstructed. Even more convenient that Leo was out right now, arms linked with some of his tree-hugger cohorts as they blocked logging equipment from entering the nearby national forest. Narcissus smiled slightly, thinking of Leo's email about the situation, his righteous outrage obvious even in text. Leo had been gone for three days, and would be gone for at least another week; the green activists Leo worked with had set up a camp for those not currently standing in the blockade, so Leo would be eating and sleeping there while not actively holding the line.

Narcissus didn't quite understand why Leomach got so worked up over these things, but it was awfully cute - and in this case, extremely beneficial to Narcissus. If his target didn't show up in the time window for the day, Narcissus would have a soft bed to nap in until the parlor opened again, and fresh food to eat - he could even call for pizza without it standing out, which honestly sounded like a better idea right now than trying to choke down one of Leo's tofu burgers. At least Leo wasn't vegan, just vegetarian, so his cheese was actually dairy instead of soy. All the same... once he'd put the rifle away for the night, he was calling out for a meat lover combo, extra large.

\----

Two days into his wait for the target to follow up on the urge for a one hour full body with a happy ending, Narcissus was adjusting the angle of the rifle for the fifteenth time in the last hour, when the sound of a key in the lock made his heart stop beating for a second.

He'd half-risen from the chair when the door opened, and Leomach stepped in. He looked discouraged; the blockade must not have gone well, especially since he was home unfortunately early. It took a moment for Leo to register what he was seeing, and then his jaw dropped and he stopped where he was, shock written clear in his round eyes and gaping mouth.

Narcissus, entirely expecting that reaction, crossed the room quickly and shut the door before a neighbour could wander past and spot the rifle at the window, locking it for good measure. "And here I thought you were going to be gone for at least a week," he said, turning back to Leomach and letting a little playful sigh slip into his voice as he returned to his seat. "So. Questions?"

"You, that, is that-" Leomach spluttered as he shook himself, then looked at Narcissus instead of the very obvious sniper rifle. "You're going to _shoot_ someone?"

"That's the plan," Narcissus told him casually. "A specific someone, mind you. Someone who was very disliked by someone else." He waited, and wasn't disappointed; Leo had a strange mind, but he wasn't stupid.

"You're an assassin," Leo said, sounding slightly dazed. He finally moved, going over to the table and sitting heavily down in a wicker chair. It creaked under him, which said something about the boneless way he'd flopped into it. The only way Leo would break 90 pounds was if you strapped weights to him; the chair wouldn't have even noticed his presence normally.

"Sometimes," Narcissus acknowledged. "It's not my primary occupation, but sometimes a good offer comes along." He turned his attention back to the street, listening to Leomach muttering under his breath behind him. A smile tugged at his lips; Leo was adorable, he honestly was.

It was a long moment before Leo said anything particularly intelligable. Finally, he made a grumpy sound. "No wonder you know people who can dispose of guns," he said, and there was a thunk that Narcissus recognized as the sound of Leo's head hitting the table. Perhaps he'd spent too much time with Leo if he could recognize that, he thought, but the part of him that found Leo precious quickly drowned that thought out with musing about how cute he was.

"Does it change your opinion of me?" Narcissus couldn't imagine it wouldn't; Leomach was a soft young man, for all he pretended to be tough and angry so much of the time. He hadn't told Leomach mostly because he didn't want to put Leo in the position of being torn between lying for him and honesty, or at least possible legal consequences, if it came to it. But he'd also known, and wanted to avoid, that Leomach would doubtless end the... the whatever they had going, the nights when Narcissus came through Leo's neighbourhood and stopped by for sex that felt a little less like fucking and a little more like making love every time Leo gasped his name.

He really liked those nights, and the mornings after were pretty good too, even if the bacon was egg whites and soy protein. Leomach hated mornings - sincerely, unlike everything he seemed to hate but actually liked - but watching him stumble blearily through the steps of getting breakfast ready was oddly charming to Narcissus. Maybe it was the fact that even as much as Leo hated mornings, he still got up and made Narcissus breakfast, every time he stayed the night. There was something awfully flattering about that.

Narcissus pulled his wandering thoughts back together in time to catch the tail end of Leo's response. "-should," Leo was saying. "But no."

"No?" Narcissus blinked before looking into the sight of the rifle to hide his cynical smile. It clearly hadn't really sunk in on Leo yet.

"No," Leo repeated. "I knew you were- well, something shady. I wasn't sure what, but you had to be either some kind of criminal, or a Fed with a weakness for idiots who explode factories on accident, so either way - shady."

Narcissus snorted a laugh, a tension he hadn't realized was messing up his angle easing out of his shoulders. "True enough. Fortunately for us both, I'm not a crooked Fed, at least. Though I do have a weakness." You, his mind finished what he wouldn't let himself say, and then his smile froze on his face as a car he recognized pulled into the massage parlor lot. Really? Now? No wonder the asshole had a hit out on him; if his timing was always this crappy, it was amazing no one had offed him before.

Leomach made an inquisitive noise behind him. "You do?"

Narcissus didn't look behind himself or tense up; this was familiar to him, even if being watched by a lover he was far, far too invested in was new. As the door of the coupe opened and a tall, grim-looking man unfolded himself out of the driver's seat, Narcissus chuckled quietly. "Oh, yeah. The second I saw you trying to act dangerous and yet you were clearly out of your depth, I knew I wanted to kiss you. Mm, and a bit more. Have you _seen_ your lips?"

He didn't need to see Leo to know Leo was blushing, and he hoped perhaps that would be enough distraction as his finger found the trigger, flipped the safety off, and gently squeezed.

It wasn't; the cough of a silenced gun was loud in the quiet apartment, and he heard the clatter and thump as Leo's chair tipped over and Leo hit the ground. It had been a perfect headshot, he could see through his scope. Target eliminated.

"Did you just-" Leo scrambled over to the window and looked out past the curtain, then ducked back, his dark skin oddly sallow. "Oh, god." He swallowed. Narcissus sat up and began dismantling the rifle, not looking directly at Leomach. This was the moment of truth, it seemed. His hands flew over the weapon, pulling it into pieces and folding up the tripod neatly. It was done in less than a minute. Not his best time, but he was slightly distracted.

"Would you like me to go now?" he offered to Leo. He tucked the rifle pieces into the hidden slots in the frame of his camera case, and stowed the tripod inside the case after swapping out the top for the one his camera screwed onto. He fastened the case and stood, preparing to lift it, knowing the answer-

"Fuck, no."

Narcissus paused. "...no?"

"That's what I said. Sorry, I just- I had spaghetti with marinara sauce and tofu balls for lunch and I'm trying to keep them down, and also forget about them." Leo swallowed and pushed himself off the wall. "I- I guess that gun didn't have the safety on, huh?"

"No, it didn't." Narcissus watched Leo, not letting his worry show on his face. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Leo sighed, looked and the window, and then suddenly a frightened look crossed his face. "Narcissus - are they, are the cops gonna know the trajectory and figure out the guy was shot from this apartment?"

Narcissus chuckled and peered through the curtains, then chuckled. "Nah. Look at this."

Leo didn't seem to have a problem leaning against Narcissus to look around him. He was just in time to see a woman step out of the massage parlor, drinking out of a large water bottle. She spotted the corpse and shrieked. The bottle fell, the cap flew off, and water drenched the sidewalk, smearing the spray of blood she'd almost walked into. As she pulled out a cellphone, Leo let the curtain fall back, frowning.

"How did you know that was going to happen?"

Narcissus lifted an eyebrow at him, smirking. "Because she hired me. Don't worry, she's a great actress; she's been working at that place for years, practically runs it now. Normally killing her clients would be bad for business, but when those clients abuse the staff, try to force them onto drugs, and attempt to convince them to participate in "Bring Your Child To Work Day" ... well, she made an exception. She doesn't know where I acted from, and she just made sure the cops can't figure it out from the blood spray."

"Not that they'll be looking too hard," he added after a moment, thoughtful. "Someone tipped them off, oh..." he glanced at his phone. "About two minutes ago about a guy with an illegal collection of porn in his house. He's not home right now, but they'll find it, and then they'll find him, and they'll be just as glad someone got rid of him for them. Still, good to have the insurance."

Leomach blinked, then hugged Narcissus, hard. After a moment, he drew back. "What if they do a door to door search?" His nose up, he sniffed the air pointedly; there was no avoiding the scent of gunpowder after firing a gun.

"Well, I was planning on burning some garlic bread in the oven to cover it," Narcissus said, grinning. Apparently Leo was okay with this; that wasn't what he'd expected, but he was damn well glad for it. "But since you're here, I have a much better idea."

Leo recognized the glint in his eyes. "I don't think getting me naked is going to cover the smell," he said, and Narcissus smirked.

"Noooo," he drawled, "but the incense we're going to burn during the photoshoot will."

"...photoshoot?" If anything, Leomach frowned more, clearly confused, and Narcissus tugged Leo's head back by his long, gorgeous dreadlocs, letting his mouth descend on Leo's for a drawn out, sensual kiss.

"The photoshoot," Narcissus said once he'd let Leo's lips go. "You're going to look gorgeous, naked and hard for me, begging for me to touch you. Something to keep me warm on lonely nights."

"If that's what you need, get a dog!" Leo jerked back, or tried, but the hungry look in his eyes told Narcissus everything he needed to know. It was going to be a good night.


End file.
